Dirty Little Secret
by laura.viti98
Summary: Garrison's cadet Pidge Gunderson has a storm coming her way, suddenly her gender is no longer the only secret she'll have to keep. Soon enough she'll be joined by her friends in the longest chain of lies, secrets and misconceptions the Universe has ever seen. (OmegaverseAU)
1. Chapter 1

Hiding her primary gender had been but a minor inconvenience for Katie Holt, now known as Pidge Gunderson, just a cut to her hair, some baggy shirts and a pair of glasses and she was no longer a girl but a boy, the exact copy of her big brother, Matt Holt, a little bit shorter. The fact that she was a late-bloomer wasn't that big of a problem, only omegas were not accepted at the Garrison, the military university created to train astronauts, and her engineering prowess got her to the last grade faster than any predecessor, even faster than her genius brother. _Suck that Matthew._

Two years prior her brother and her father were sent on the Kerberos mission and vanished in the nothingness, thanks to whatever superior deity watching over this universe the whole crew, aka her brother, her father and Takashi Shirogane, her brother's best friend and one of the best pilots, came back after a year, scarred to life by something that none of them had the courage to talk about. Shirogane, shortened in Shiro, had started to give lectures in her class just a few months after returning and was at the moment one of her favourite professors (not to say one of the sexiest: tall, muscled, broad-shouldered, reading glasses plus a big scar across his face and a mecha-arm, adding to the mysterious aura about him).

Getting back on theme, she was just returning to her dorm-room from an intensive session of study with her two team-mates, Hunk, an anxious, motherly beta, who shared with her a lot of classes, and Lance, a lanky, snarky late-bloomer (just like her) who had a _thing_ (a "rivalry" as he liked to call it) with an Alpha (Keith Kogane, none other than Shiro's adopted little brother, aka Mullet), when out of the blue an intense wave of heat hit her right in the face making her realize that, for once in her life, she hadn't anything under control. Her mind grew dizzy and her knees gave out, all she could think of was finding a shelter where she could hide from dangerous Alphas and how much of a disappointment she was. In a dark alley, in between two corners she found a small enough cave in which to hide, her breaths came in short, ragged puffs and everything hurt because of a white hot flame burning her from the inside out. No wonder that she had felt off the last few days, now at least she knew why, it wasn't a fever, oh no, it was much worse, she was an _Omega_.

Anxious thoughts started clouding her mind: _what if an Alpha found her and took advantage of her? What if one of her teachers found her and kicked her out of the Garrison? What was she going to do about suppressants? Was she going to be able to hide her secondary gender? What would her father and her brother and her friends think about her? Would they be disappointed? Would they worry? Oh God... she couldn't do this to them..._

All of a sudden strong arms wrapped around her trembling frame, a strong, _Alpha_ smell washing over her making her still in terror and her mind go blank. Her body reacted on instinct, completely ignoring the fact that she was in a dire situation, she curled against the warm, firm chest and whined miserably, calling out to the Alpha for help. Then her panic kicked in, letting her in control of her own actions, and she started to whimper fearfully. The Alpha started crooning softly next to her ear, trying to calm her, but failing miserably.

"Pidge... Katie... You are safe... It's me, Shiro..." recognizing the voice whispering somewhere near, G _od had the heat taken it's toll on her_ , fear was soon replaced by uncertainty, it was safe to say that she was lucky to have been found by him, but he was _both_ an Alpha _and_ a professor, meaning she was probably screwed. Nonetheless pitiful whines kept escaping her lips out of her control, making Shiro worry. Thankfully he seemed to be able to read in her mind: "I'm not going to tell anyone, if that's what's scaring you. I'm not going to hurt you either, but you already know that. And I'm bringing you home, well my apartment, it's not safe to keep you out here any longer..." Not two seconds later she was repositioned and hoisted up, comfortably resting her head on his shoulder, her nose nuzzling his neck, and she felt him stroll, evidently he was avoiding the crowded streets seen as they were cutting across nearly silent alleys.

After a ten minutes walk and three flights of stairs Shiro opened carefully the door to his house thanking God that Katie, now dozing off on his shoulder, was such a light weight. To his omegan pheromones filled nose the house reeked of Alpha, of himself, and, although it shouldn't have come as a surprise, it made him incredibly self-conscious and uncomfortable. Ignoring this in favour of bringing the Omega in a relatively (well, he was still an Alpha) safe place he walked inside, leaving most of their belongings at the door, and went straight for the couch, laying Katie on it. Seeing as she curled in a tight ball he decided to bring her some sheets, in which she swiftly cocooned and nested, covering only about an half of the big couch, a small smile covering hers and the Alpha's lips. He started blushing once she took in his scent and curled even more into it, he could only praise his military education if he was able to keep his Alpha in check, although she was his best friend's sister and his student she was still an Omega in heat, and instincts didn't care about labels.

Looking at the clock he decided to make soup, all the while he kept thinking about what was the best thing to do, his options were kinda limited since he couldn't call her brother or her family in general, _maybe her friends?_ He really hoped that Matt had given him the numbers in one of his protective streaks, he wouldn't like to snoop into someone else's phone…

After cooking the decent-enough dinner he took his phone from his bag and searched in the contacts list, a fist pumping in the air once he found Hunk's number. Since he never seemed to be able to stay still while making a phone call he found himself in his room, nothing special really, and put on some more comfortable clothes than the usual suit he used for work, he had just took on taming his white tuft of hair, that always seemed to return in his eyes, when the kind voice of the beta answered. After explaining what exactly had happened and calming down the near panic attack the guy was in, they agreed on meeting at Shiro's after dinner to discuss the next steps to take.

Pidge woke up from her peaceful nap to a cold hand pressing gently on her forehead, not without some difficulties she sat up, aided by Shiro, still dizzy and disoriented she looked up into his steely grey eyes. Sniffing she redirected her gaze to a tray of food, carefully placed on the coffee table in front of the couch, then looked up again to find a soft smile on the Alpha's face. He took the tray and handed it to her and she gladly took it, blushing furiously because of the not-so-innocent thoughts racing through her mind (her Omega seemed to appreciate Shiro's comfy choice of clothing to extents that Katie wasn't all that comfortable with). She tried to distract herself by making light conversation, hoping for all that was holy that her mind-mouth filter still worked: "Aren't you going to eat?" _Yeah, you go Pidge, keep it up, don't make it awkward..._

"I already did – he responded with his _oh so velvety_ voice – I wanted to let you wake on your own but heat must have taken its toll on you... Oh, I called Hunk and he told me that this is your first heat... It's normal for it to be painful but please if it becomes unbearable just tell me..." he smiled gently and Katie's heart fluttered strangely in her chest. _Since when had Shiro become so sexy? And his scent so mouthwatering? ...Shit, wrong train of thought._

"D-do you happen to know where are my glasses?" _This counts as small talk right?_ She looked around and grimly noticed that: a) she wasn't in her room, b) she was sitting in what should have been a couch but now resembled more a bird's nest than what it was supposed to.

"Here – the soon-not-to-be-anymore-hazy figure offered her the familiar black rimmed glasses and she hastily put them on – also... don't worry about the couch, it's normal to nest during heats" if possible she blushed even more at that and looked at her hands, folded on her lap, next to the tray, which laid untouched on her crossed legs.

"Yeah... but not with your things? Moreover I don't even remember making this mess at all..." she huffed indignantly.

Once again a calm, gentle smile made his way on Shiro's sharp features and he reassured: "Don't worry... It's okay, it's not like you can do anything about it... Anyway just tell me if you need anything at all..."

"Can you stay here with me for a bit?" _Holy shit, that was totally_ not _what she wanted to say..._ Anxiety crept over her, self-deprecating voices asking to be listened to: _you are just a weakling, he would never even think of being close to you, he is never gonna say yes, you are a failure even at being an Omega, what's so difficult, little one? You just have to open your legs like the good whore you are..._ She seemed to share her rambling tendencies with what she like to call her demons...

"Of course, where can I sit? I know that nests are delicate subjects... So yeah, I would like to die on some other occasion..." Shiro tried to laugh it off, seeming to read once again in her mind. _Wait, what?_ Her Omega beamed at not being rejected by the Alpha it was interested in, and Katie blushed at her own giddiness at the idea of being physically close to him. She made space on the couch/nest and patted the place next to her, smiling up at the blushing Shiro (who was internally cursing her cuteness). Soon after he scooted closer to her she realized that being wrapped by his lingering scent on his sheets and furniture was nothing compared to the real thing, and she happily leaned on him, taking even more of it in.

"Eat – _Mhhh... assertive Alpha voice... Wait, what the heck? Oh right, Omega..._ \- or it's going to get cold..."He uttered as he moved to readjust their position, dragging her on his lap and leaning on the backrest.

Shiro watched in silence as in probably under five minutes the little Omega wolfed down a him-sized portion of food and curled on him, making him part of her now two-places nest, although he knew that it wasn't properly a good thing to let her sleep on him (both because of her heat and because it just wasn't okay for an Alpha to be in a nest if the Omega wasn't its mate) he didn't have the heart to turn her down. He texted Hunk, who was going to arrive at any moment, the position of his spare keys and their current position, so that the beta wouldn't have to call out to them and possibly wake the slumbering Katie, or Pidge as everyone insisted to call her.

About ten minutes later he heard someone walk up the stairs and then the door creaked open, a sharp intake of breath and stomping feet coming toward the living room later he found himself fearing for his life once again. When Hunk set foot in the room he swore the guy was ready to kill someone (probably Shiro) and have their head served on a silver plate.

"What have you done to her?" A low rippling growl came from the murderous beta, stunning Shiro into silence, he hadn't realized that he and Katie had quite surely scented each other, giving the wrong idea to the brooding figure stalking toward them.

"Nothing. I already told you everything on the phone... – he reasoned – I know our scents mixed, but I can explain: she asked to keep her company while she ate but fell asleep on me right after finishing... I'm sorry, Hunk."

The growling coming from the now calmer guy stopped altogether, his instinct telling him not to challenge the Alpha in his territory: "No, I'm sorry for my disrespect... I didn't mean to attack you. How's she? – a beat of silence – Also... could you please stop growling at me and gripping her like that, it seems painful?" Came his sort of apology together with his anxious motherly streak.

Shiro inhaled slowly and looked down, he hadn't realized what he was doing until Hunk had pointed it out, he released his hold (more like death grip) in Katie, who was nuzzling against his chest and scenting him, trying to calm him with her pheromones. Once he felt like he had put his Alpha down enough he answered: "No problem, really... Sorry if I growled back... I think she is quite well, for this to be her first heat, at least... She slept most of the time since I brought her here..."

A low, admittedly cute, growl ripped from the little Omega's chest: "I feel like shit – she mumbled – Do you really have to talk about me as if I wasn't here, fuckers?" Hunk smiled, Shiro scoffed: "Language, Katie. And sorry, we didn't mean to."

"Sounds like you just fine, Pidge. How are you doing?" rephrased her friendly team-mate.

"Wasn't my previous statement enlightening enough? I feel hot, gross, in pain and aroused at the same time. I have no control whatsoever over what I say or think or do. I should probably start to search for suppressants... Since, you know, the Garrison doesn't accept omegas as students or whatever... And that shit is hella expensive... I'm paying the Academy with my own money but I can't do that if I have to pay for suppressants. Plus I don't want to tell my parents..."

Her rambling was interrupted by a loud growl and Shiro's angered, protective, voice: "Like Hell are you going to take suppressants on my watch! They can completely fuck up your hormones and fertility, even causing cancers..."

And she growled right back: "If you think I'm going to endure this every two months you are deadly wrong! I don't have a mateand I live on my own in a male dormitory, where omegas and females are not accepted! But there's more, I'm not giving up my hopes and dreams just to become some Alpha's lapdog just because of my secondary gender Shiro! It's a promise I made to my brother, I can't disappoint him!"

Shiro's Alpha instinct got the best of him, a powerful rumbling resounding in the room, getting louder as Katie's speech got to right outscreaming to be heard over his growling, making the Omega surrender and go back to its place, submitting obediently.

At the threatening sound Hunk shied away, fearful and unable to take a stand in favour of his friend against the Alpha; he could only watch helplessly as Pidge, headstrong, little and fragile Pidge, responded, sure of her decision, but was soonyelping fearfully and submitting once Shiro extended and showed his fangs, hovering over her trembling form, effectively keeping her caged between himself and the couch.

Katie whined miserably and craned her neck, showing submission, she hated being an Omega, a few hours prior she wouldn't have backed down from a fight, not even against an Alpha, but now she felt weak, completely and utterly defeated. Suddenly a powerful wave of heat washed over her making her whimper and curl on herself, trying to stop the burning in her lower half.

Cold hands cradled her face, Shiro's she realized at the feeling of metal on her right cheek, his thumbs swept on her cheekbones, drying tears she didn't know she had been crying. The growling had stopped in the meanwhile, replaced by a soft apologetic croon. In response to it, blaming her new-found animal instincts, Katie curled even more and whined, grabbing at the Alpha's shirt to tug him closer, basking in his scent and warmth.

Feeling the tiniest little bit out of place Hunk decided that he could settle this… _thing_ … - _Oh God why did he think it was a good idea to come here! -_ later and took his leave in silence and blushing, the sounds in the room not explicitly erotic but really close to that point of no return. Out of the door he took a generous breath and couldn't believe just how _clean_ the air felt, never had he been so close to an angered Alpha and a distressed Omega in heat… _Those scents were rightfully intoxicating, good Lord…_

While walking towards the small apartment he shared with Lance, he realized something else concerning scents: if Pidge's slight changes in scent in the last days were anything to go by than Lance was probably going to be an Omega too, since his had started to change a few days before Pidge's… _Oh shit… How had he not realized that sooner?_

His walk broke into a run, a few minutes later he was fumbling with the keys of their first floor flat and barging in, taking in the open floor-to-ceiling window and the smell of heat (clearly Lance's) and Alpha arousal… _Oh Holy mother of fuck, couldn't he do just one thing right?_ At the moaning and grunting coming from a few doors down - _Not his room, score! -_ he realized that whoever was with Lance was clearly enjoying himself as much as his friend and was probably not going to leave any time soon. Leaving a post-it attached to the front door, which sported only the phrase: "I'll be coming back tomorrow morning, Hunk. PS: don't get pregnant, use condoms", he closed it behind himself and took a stroll around the city before redirecting his aimless trip to the dormitories, remembering that Pidge had given him a copy of her keys at the beginning of the year. _Well… at least he wasn't sleeping on a bench in the park, the rooms weren't exactly warm but still better than_ _the freezing cold November air…_

In the meantime Shiro lulled Katie to sleep, her curled form laying across his chest, just like his guilt… _What would Matt think about this? Would he want to know? Probably… Would he be angry? At Pidge for being an Omega? Not at all… At him for offering to help her through her heats in exchange of her not taking suppressants? Most probably… Fuck, why had he done that in the first place? He knew it was stupid, but his Alpha's instinct took the wheel… Moreover he was a professor and she a student, one of his to be more precise, so they would have to hide their relationship… unless they mated… which wasn't an option at the moment...Would he be able to lay on the low and not mate her once he actually "helped" her?_

A few hours later he fell in an uneasy, dreamless slumber with more doubts on his mind that he'd like to have to handle. And this time it wasn't only about himself.

What woke him up in the morning were the powerful, heavy smell of heat and the little body writhing in pain next to him. Katie was trembling and whimpering, not even the gentle, circular caresses he was leaving along her spine did anything to stop it or relieving it just a tiny, little bit and cuddling seemed to be making things worse, which was strange, the fact that he was so close to her should have had the opposite effect, unless…

"Katie? Are you fighting against your Omega and trying to suppress your heat?" The dry laugh he got in response was way more than enough for him to understand that he was absolutely right and that he had to do something. _Why couldn't she just accept herself? What was so wrong about being an Omega?_

After a few attempts at making her stop hurting herself uselessly he decided that if he couldn't reason with her he could still try to bring her Omega to the surface. He knew that he was doing something that he was probably going to regret later but in that moment it felt completely right, Shiro let out his Alpha pheromones, effectively engulfing her in his scent, triggering a what he knew would be a blindingly hot wave of heat.

The little thingy squirmed and fought against the pain, trying to resist his Alpha call, but once he got her in his arms she couldn't stand it anymore and let out a loud cry of pleasure mixed with pain. Realization hit him like a truck: he had let out his Alpha completely, he was watching himself moving, not in control of his actions anymore. And his first reaction was fear, of himself, he hadn't let his Alpha take over since Kerberos and even then it wasn't something willing, he had to do it if he wanted to survive the arena he dreamt about every other day, and the words he would describe this other part of him were quite surely violent, wild, out of control and savage, maybe a force to be reckoned with, but nothing flattering for someone _human_. But looking at himself now he would think he was another person, in another body, in a different world maybe: his Alpha was _tender_ , crooning softly to the Omega sprawled underneath him, calling out to it, asking for permission and cuddling the small, fragile body andtrying to take the suffering away from Katie. He watched, rather helplessly, as his body meshed with the Omega's, getting impossibly close, and his lips met with the overly heated ivory column of her neck.

Katie found herself quite literally caged between Shiro's god-like body and the couch/nest she had been sleeping in. When she looked up and into the Alpha's eyes she was greeted by golden irises, not the steely grey she was used to. And after a brief moment she was not in her body anymore, the sensation so foreign that it caused her heart to skip a beat, it felt just wrong.

Then she remembered the lessons she'd been put through since early age: "it is possible, although not recommended, to let your animal instinct take over in case of emergency or to stop someone from hurting themselves (which counts as an emergency especially if they are suppressing their Alpha/beta/Omega)". _Oh… she fell in the category of self-loathing bastards apparently…_ She realized that probably now her eyes resembled his, _which colour though?_

She was distracted from her internal ramblings by her – _well, not exactly hers anymore_ – body melting against Shiro's, her chest flush against the Alpha's and her hips grinding up toward his, making pleased shivers run up her spine, moans and mewls of his first name escaping her mouth. Once his lips moved from her tender neck down to her collarbone and then lower Katie couldn't help herself and felt herself arch and shiver in pleasure, the alien fire within sparking to life hotter and stronger than ever before making her moan and press up on the hardness in Shiro's pants, only now really noticing that she was opening her legs like a whore for the Alpha hovering over her.

Shiro's Alpha felt quite offended by the amount of clothing both himself and Katie were still wearing. He realized that Katie was still wearing the Garrison's typical male uniform, minus the jacket she had removed while still in the dark alley, and he watched, admittedly aroused, as his hands tore through the linen and stripped her bare, leaving her in only her undies and bra.

A low moan came from deep within and his hips thrusted up grinding against her core, wet and leaking through her underwear letting a sweet smell fill his nostrils, making him want to dip his nose there as well as his mouth and take it all in. For a moment he feared his Alpha's instinct, he knew that whatever the beast inside of him wanted to do he wouldn't be able to stop from happening, he didn't want to scare or hurt Katie it was her first time with someone (as he had come to know from Hunk) and she had to feel safe and cherished, although her Omega had taken her place, the silvery blue eyes confirming it, she was still there, somewhere. Thankfully though the animal inside of him seemed to be on the same page and let him know by purring softly and racing his hands down her sides, making her squirm, she was ticklish apparently… _How cute..._ He laid back and let him completely in control once he was absolutely sure that he wouldn't force himself on her, and made the feelings the Alpha was filtering wash over him, engulfing him and basking into them, it was so different from the ones he usually blocked out: bloodthirst the most prominent of them.

Concentrating again on the tiny Omega he started nipping at her jaw before leaving a gentle kiss on her warm forehead, earning a soft sigh from her and her hands sneaking under his shirt. He let his hands roam up and down her body, learning every crease and dip of the muscles of her legs, now hooked around his waist, and torso, heaving with heavy breaths and moans, while gently pecking her lips and going lower to nip at the tender skin of her neck. When his hands grazed over her covered hips a jolt of energy brought the two to still, _what the heck?_ Realization hit them at the same time, they smiled at each other. It was universally acknowledged that everyone had a designed soul mate somewhere in the world and everyone had a specific symbol (similar to one of those ancient runes) making it possible to recognize each other and, apparently, they had found their destined. His mark was on his right hip, just like Pidge's, he found by tugging the hem of her panties down just enough to show it.

He searched her now hazel eyes, apparently their instincts decided to let them settle this on their own, and he mentally thanked both of them, knowing that they could still hear him, and found a confused expression instead of the smile he was sporting, similar to the one her Omega had just a few seconds ago.

"What was that, Shiro?" He smiled more, she wasn't rejecting him, she just didn't know what that meant, his Alpha rejoiced at having the opportunity to teach her something so important instead of the stupid technical lectures he usually gave his students. He tugged down the hem of his trousers and boxers to show her the dark rune sitting just to the right of the evident V of his hips.

"This is my soul mate mark… that jolt was because I touched yours, and it recognized me" He felt her suck in a shaky breath and watched as a soft, happy smile broke on her face and the hands gliding on the skin of his abs reached forward to touch the familiar rune. He gave in his desire and kissed her deeply, he would have time for regrets later, but as she responded fiercely they were shoved once again to the back of their heads, their instincts having had enough of their inactivity.

And suddenly what was a semi-innocent act had become two bodies meshing and clashing trying to bring their souls closer, out of their cage of flesh and bones.

Shiro catched Katie's lips in a bruising kiss, the flushed Omega moaning into it and pleading for more. He smirked, aroused by the submissive position she had taken: open of him and with her neck craned, asking for him to claim her, mate her, her heavy, sweet scent engulfing him and making his erection strain his pants. He slid his hands up her torso, reaching for her bra and loosing it, discarding it somewhere in the room (just like all the other clothes he had removed earlier. A tug at his shirt, with a whine accompanying it, made him realize that he was still fully clothed and that it didn't sit well with Katie, swiftly he removed the offending items, remaining only in his underwear, since he didn't intend to do anything, if not please the Omega.

Just as fastly he returned his attention to her, her chest now on display, and went to suck on the small, reddened, perky nipples earning pleased mewls of his name. While working on one with his lips he twisted and played with the other with his fingers, making her arch beautifully toward him. Slowly kissing, licking, and biting down her stomach he made his way to the hem of her undies, but right before he started to slip them off though he felt a tug to his white tuft of hair and looked up, meeting a blushing Omega with open arms, asking him to crawl into them, to which he gladly complied.

Katie was once again engulfed in his arms, his scent reassuring and familiar, her mouth met his in a slow loving kiss, her hands reaching for his boxers and tugging them down, earning a low chuckle from her _soul mate._ In a swift movement Shiro got rid of them, she realized and since there wasn't any reason for her to feel self-conscious she gave in her curiosity and slid her hands down his chest, like she had done before, caressed the tantalizing V framing his muscular hips, and gently, tentatively reached for his hard, leaking, freakishly big length, at which her Omega was already purring in anticipation. She felt him suck in a breath, his cock twitching in her feather-like hold, and rock his hips forward, effectively making it slide between her fingers, making her feel just how warm, rock hard, and velvety it was. Their lips met again, this time in a hungry demanding kiss making her moan into it. It was her turn to suck in a shuddering breath, Shiro's hand reaching down her body, tearing the cotton of her underwear and reaching for her wet, hot core.

Shiro smirked at her reaction, proud of having such an influence on her, wanting to hear more of her moans and lewd sounds he let his fingers slide between her lower lips, feeling around her hot vulva and then settling on her clitoris, moving in circular motions over it, applying just enough pressure to make her whimper in pleasure but not enough to hurt her. His smirk deepened as a low groan emitted from low in his throat at the feeling of Katie's small hand gently moving awkwardly on his length, reminding him that the bold Omega was, in fact, inexperienced and probably needed guidance. He decided to take it slow and let her try out what she felt comfortable with. He moved just so as to be able to enter her with a finger and still keep rubbing on her clit without having to use two hands and kissed her deeply, making her moan into it and cry out his name just as he hit the right spot inside her. He started trailing kisses down her body, sucking on the most sensible spots, and nipping, making her mewl even more.

Katie's hand fell into the Alpha's hair out of its own accord, weaving and tugging at the already messed up tuft of white, earning a low possessive growl every time her tugs became more forceful.

She opened her mouth in a silent scream as she felt Shiro's lips reach way lower than she thought and latched onto her lower lips and parted them, slowly sweeping over the fluids escaping from her vagina with his tongue, and then stopped on her clit, licking it and sucking, stealing her breath away. It didn't take too long for her vision to go completely black and for her to come into his mouth with a loud cry of his name, that felt absolutely _right_ falling from her lips.

Right after she climaxed Shiro rested his cheek against her thigh and watched as her body went limp, her chest heaving with heavy breaths, as she came down from her high. He licked his lips, tasting her on them, sweet and intoxicating, and slowly moved to cradle her in his arms, her tiny form fitting perfectly in them.

He realized that the heat was probably giving her a break and that if he was lucky she would drift asleep, letting him take a much-needed cold shower, although he really did hope that it worked, because his Alpha was giving him a hard time at relaxing and concentrating on something other than the Omega laying next to him (redirecting his thoughts on how Katie had craned her neck submissively and he hadn't marked her, mostly… there were also _other_ thoughts, definitively less innocent, making him blush).

Sometime in between a thought and another his now steely eyes met her amber ones, clouded by pleasure and sleepiness, and he couldn't help the smile playing on his lips when she let out the cutest yawn he had ever heard. Not a minute later, passed in searching for the most comfortable curled position, aka her usual ball, Katie was out like a light, soft breaths and sighs escaping her lips.

Shiro leisurely strolled in the kitchen to grab something to eat and make some coffee, if Matt hadn't lied about his sister's strange, and sometimes self destructing, habits, one of them was to run mainly on coffee and caffeinated things to be able to study for longer hours. His Alpha reminded him to make some more nutritive food for the Omega, seen as heats usually burn a lot of calories, _in particular if there's an Alpha to take care of them_. Looking at the clock and noting, not without some hindered pleasure and happiness, that it was already too late for him to go to the morning lectures (and thankfully his phone automatically alerted the Garrison of his absence if he didn't hit the sneeze after three wake up calls), which he didn't usually had signed to do, unless he was feeling a lot better about his PTSD, which he had learned to not underestimate after a few failed attempts at crawling out of bed anyway.

He realized that since he was cooking he could be making lunch as well to not lose too much time on cleaning afterwards, instead being able to take care of Katie. But, not to make it get cold, he agreed with himself that he would go get a shower, possibly cold, beforehand.

Pidge woke up to a mouthwatering smell, making her stomach growl, just as loud as the purr of her Omega, telling her that it was _her Alpha_ cooking for her. Too lazy to search for the discarded items of clothing, she wrapped a sheet around herself. Stretching and yawning she made her way toward the place from where that alluring smell was originating, stumbling a bit on the hem of the enormous bed sheet.

"Morning Shiro~, what are you doing?" her sleepy voice, accompanied by a lengthy yawn, made the Alpha in question smile to himself, while the tiny Omega was rubbing her eyes under the lenses, trying to make her vision clearer. Once she succeeded Katie wasn't as convinced about that decision: Shiro stood at the counter, his backside leaning onto it, ankles and arms crossed, only in a pair of sweatpants, from the hem of which she could see the boxers, his toned upper muscles (and she knew just how _toned_ his lower half was, too) tensing and twitching under the tanned skin jarred by pale scars he got during the Kerberos mission. _How was a body like that not illegal? Moreover, who the fuck cooks with only a pair of sweats on?_

"Morning Katie, I'm making lunch since is nearly midday… Would you like some coffee anyway?" At the mention of her precious heart attack juice a smile broke on her face and she jumped on the balls of her feet, excitedly squeaking, which sounded more like moaning really: "Oh yes, please~" Thinking about it in hindsight reaching for the cup sitting in the Alpha's hands with both of hers, while she hadn't actually fastened the sheet around herself previously, hadn't been one of her brightest moves.

She felt the man in front of her suck in a breath and let out a low rumbling growl, that made her inside shiver and her heat spike up again. Trying to not make him uncomfortable, although it was probably too late, she bent to tug the sheet over her body and secured it safely around her shoulder, effectively covering herself from there down, all the while muttering apologies. Once she found it in herself to look up again she was met by a flushed face, awkward eyes looking everywhere but at her, and the damned coffee cup still extended toward her. The look on the Alpha's face making her giggle, it was just too out of place for him to be embarrassed since _that_ face had been _way_ _lower_ then her breasts a few hours prior.

She grabbed the cup and looked down into the dark heaven inside it, she was already missing it: the powerful, bitter smell kissing her nostrils making her sigh in content, the black of the liquid, _just as black as her soul_ as she liked to joke, the rush of caffeine setting in her brain just after a few sips...

Her steam of thoughts was interrupted by heavy hands setting on her hips and hoisting her up to the counter, effectively making her sit on it. Once she broke out of her stupor she returned to watch the owner of those hands move once again toward the stoves bubbling on the fires a few feet away.

"Lunch should be ready in 5" Came the soft voice of the man moving a few plates around and checking the food before making portions - _just as hot as his Alpha's one~,_ chimed her Omega.

"Can't wait if the smell is anything to go by… - she mewled out... _Oh well, she'd better give up at not sounding lewd during heats_ – this is going to be the best meal I've had in a while" She thought aloud after a short pause while sipping on her beverage, not at all expecting her mate (although she shouldn't be calling him that, since he hadn't actually marked her…) to growl disapprovingly.

"Are you serious, Katie? This takes no longer than 15 minutes to be prepared and you're telling me that you usually eat worse than this? Do you really live on caffeine?" A steely glare met her unimpressed eyes as she scoffed: "Do you think I have time? The answer is no by the way, and it's none of your business whether I eat or not!" Her Omega reminded her not to stand up to her Alpha, advice that she gladly ignored.

Shiro was baffled: _How could she think it didn't concern him? More importantly, why didn't she eat properly?_ His instinct took over, his anger spiking up and making him growl once again: "It is my business since you are my mate! And you need to eat properly, how did you even manage to convince your parents to let you live on your own if you can't even take care of yourself!"

He watched as she realized the risks she was taking, evaluated them, and responded, her stubbornness winning against her fears: "Really?Shall I remind you that you are a teacher and I a student? It isn't like we can be together... I'm okay with you helping me out during heats, in exchange of me not taking suppressants, but we wouldn't work together as a couple... well, actually, it's more like _I_ can't work with anyone... - suddenly all the fight escaped her tone and what remained was but a ghost of the usual Katie he admired, bubbly and headstrong, not sad and defeated – What are we supposed to do now? We are soul mates and I'm ecstatic about that, I didn't even believe I'd ever find you, but you are here... But, at the same time, I can't just barge into your life like a shipwreck and change, or probably ruin, everything... You have already gone through so much, if my brother's PTSD is anything to go by you are not faring any better..." She was mumbling, her eyes downcast, boring into what remained of her coffee, her knuckles turning white with how hard she was gripping the cup. He got closer to her, completely ignored, and removed it from her hands, setting it on the counter, just a little bit away. He wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders in a comforting manner, a soft croon emitting from deep within, his nose tracing along her jugular, caressing her scent glands, slowly calming her down.

Shiro had to admit that Katie had a point, but he couldn't care less about his career, it wasn't like he had chosen it, he had to do it to survive, but he could search somewhere else, or, if he was lucky, keep teaching there. Anyway he would gladly give it all up if that meant not giving up the most important thing: _HIS_ Omega. He hadn't thought that she could be self-deprecating because of not being able to protect her brother and her father, he knew that she was using the code name because she wasn't welcome into the Garrison after hacking their system to find informations about the Kerberos mission, but _why had she searched specifically for him too? Why did she feel the need to protect him now?_ He rapidly came to the conclusion that asking her now wouldn't be a smooth move since she was still breathing hard (probably because of the near panic attack she just had), and also because he didn't like going back to the same mission that destroyed whatever he believed in before embarking.

He hoisted her up on his robotic arm (which was all but robotic really, since he could still _feel_ what he was touching, but was still stronger than a normal one), making her wrap her legs around his torso, her arms going around his shoulders, and her face nuzzling in the crook of his neck. With his free arm he took two filled plates, carefully balancing them, before strolling back into the living room. Gently he sat in the nest, with the Omega still holding onto him like a koala, now calmer than before, and sat the plates on the coffee table next to them. Prying her face from his neck revealed itself to be a tricky task since she whined every time making him stop, at the end he managed to coax her with food, which she gladly took and wolfed down once again, as he controlled that she wasn't eating in a way that could bring her harm. As he was watching her fall asleep on his lap, satiated and tired, her heat taking over as soon as she had had enough energies, he realized that he'd had to bring up her doubts and worries sooner or later if he wanted to make their possible relationship work out, but, for once, he agreed with himself that later sounded way better.


	2. Chapter 2

_Fuck! Why couldn't he be a pilot already instead of having to learn all this stupid shit? It wasn't like it was useful for someone like him! Come on! They don't call him The Tailor for nothing!_

"Lance... - the warm voice of his best friend, Hunk, reached them through the thin wall – Your thoughts are so loud that I can hear them from the kitchen (which really wasn't that far since they were studying at the coffee table in the living room)!" Lance realized that for the Beta to be in his _safe heaven_ , as he liked to call it, it must have been quite late, which meant that his personal torture would be over soon. _Hell yes!_ A groan resounded from right next to him, reminding him of the presence of the ever-bitter team engineer, Pidge (it was probably because of the amount of coffee he drank on a regular basis, on which there was still a bet going on (and no, Lance was not winning, but, you know, tables could still turn)). The aforementioned guy was looking at him through the lenses of his thick glasses, his amber eyes glinting with something akin to murder, _oh how he dreaded that look_ , which meant more work or instantaneous, painful punishment or both. Thankfully Shorty was distracted from his sadistic thoughts (probably) by a long strand of caramel hair falling in his face... _seriously, how did he live with those! Couldn't he cut them short? (not to mention that they were so similar to his rival's)_

A hand flailing in front of his face broke him out of his train of thoughts that, as usual, got back to _Keith_ 's annoying face. Pidge recovered his usual bun on the top of the head and pouted, obviously angered with himself for not making the lesson interesting enough for Lance, who didn't understand why he put so much effort in preparing them, it wasn't like he could do anything about his short attention span. On a different note Lance was absolutely sure that their genius friend was gay, although his gaydar failed to notice this (which was strange since it always functioned perfectly), not that he was gay, Lance was bi or maybe pan, he was sure about that, but this guy remained a mystery.

"Once you are done staring as if I was a riddle could you please tell me what you want to do? I emptied my patience tank and it's getting late..." He sneered. Lance felt offended, he was amazing to be with, maybe not always, but for the most part he was fine. _Prick_.

"Yes yes, make us all fail the next test and go home... - he accused – Hunk! I'm hungry! Ow, my head, what the shit man?!" A powerful smack to the nape of his neck made him cry out.

"You are not going to eat until your lazy ass finishes math's homework" Hunk was right about done with Lance's continuous whining. _Why were they acting so strange lately?_

"Fuck you Hunk! When did you get here?" Okay, Lance had to admit that lately he'd been out of his game, he wasn't this whiny usually, and a thing like this would have soon escalated into an inappropriate innuendo... _What was going on? Did he catch a cold?_

"Five minutes ago – this time it was the bulky friend's voice that got him out of his stupor – I came to see if you two had made any progress, which you apparently haven't since you've been staring into the nothingness for the past hour or so... what's up with you?" Point to make: his best friend sounded scared half the time, anxious for a quarter and proud of the new receipt for the other, but he rarely sounded _concerned_ , not unless he was terrified for someone's well being.

"Nothing..." was the monotonous answer both the late-bloomers gave, at the same time, which really didn't help in quieting his motherly instincts down (he was a Beta, it was not his fault if he felt the need to nurse his friends). Moreover the fact that both of them felt off at the same time was unsettling, but, not wanting to make them worry uselessly, he kept his mouth shut about his hypothesis.

"Alright alright... I take back what I said before, if you don't eat you are not going to achieve anything... Take some energies in..." The two teenagers brightened up at the sight of a tray full of healthy and tasty food offered to them by their bulky technician. All the different foods disappeared in the blink of an eye as both Lance and Pidge seemed to have been starving (although the one who really ate everything was Lance, the guy seemed to have a stomach like MaryPoppins' bag on a regular basis), which they haven't since Hunk had made them tea not three hours prior.

"Okay, I think I'd better get back to the dormitories..." Yawned Pidge, once he had finished eating one of the remnants of the cheesecake Hunk had made for dinner (which was the only thing he had actually touched of all the ones on the tray, because he didn't feel like eating, as per usual), as he stretched out his limbs and put away his books and other belongings.

"But I still haven't finished... – Lance whined once again, _God he was getting angry at himself, why was he so whiny?_ – You don't get the privilege to leave the house..." Pidge couldn't believe what he was hearing... _What the heck was wrong with his friend?_

"You know I have curfew right? I'm not so lucky as to be able to afford an apartment in the city... I can't get inside the building after 10 PM sharp and since I have to run some errands before going back I have to go now if I don't want to sleep on the cold hard ground..." Scoffed the worn down guy while strolling toward the door to put on his shoes and coat before taking his leave after bidding the other two goodbye.

Not long after, an hour at best, Lance, who was taking a shower to try and wash the tiredness off of himself, heard Hunk's phone go off with the unknown number ringtone (yes, Lance had learned over the years that his BFF loved to personalize everyone's contact and learned all the songs since he helped him choose them), which on his own would have been strange, but the concerned tone that plagued his personal cook the last week had returned and it made Lance weary. He got out of the shower and walked toward the living room where Hunk was pacing nervously back and forth, his tall bulky figure hunched in deep worry, his free hand winding through his short chocolate brown hair, making a mess of them. Lance assumed that he was arguing with the person on the other end at the fast paced exchanges the two were having, but the only thing he was able to make out was the last phrase: "I'll be coming over, be there in a few minutes" accompanied by a sigh as he shut the phone and stormed out of the flat, ignoring him completely. _This couldn't be a good sign._

His concerns about the call evaporated once his body decided to give him a taste of what Hell felt like. He must have catched a strange virus since his temperature had risen and he was feeling as if his skin was burning. His instinct brought him on the balcony of his flat, accessible from the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, and he sat on the bench. But then it was too cold, the difference between his and the outside temperature making him shiver and his head grow dizzy, so he crawled back on the couch and cocooned in a bunch of sheets, leaving the window ajar so as to have a more favourable habitat to stay in.

Suddenly he realized something, the pain in his gut and the uncomfortable sensation of slick wetting his boxers making the other symptoms add up: he was in _heat_ , he was presenting and he was an _Omega_.

He felt a sob escape his lips as tears he didn't know he had been crying fell down his cheeks, his emotions were skyrocketing because of the heat and apparently the turn of sadness had already came. _Being an Omega meant he couldn't go at the Garrison anymore, which meant that he'd have to choose another university, or give it all up and hope to find a good enough Alpha, carry his children and take care of their house. God he'd have to change his attitude, he sure didn't fit in the stereotype of the usual Omega..._

His train of thought was interrupted by knocking on the door of his flat. He stood up and looked down after getting rid of his cocoon, only now noticing that he had nested. Another sob escaped his lips, he felt so utterly miserable... Rubbing at his face he dried his tears at best as he could (which wasn't much) and went to open the door. He stopped a few inches away from the door knob as a strong _Alpha_ smell wafted in his nostrils. _Good he hoped that Alpha was strong enough to kill him once he lost control._

When the door swung open Keith was met by the powerful smell of heat and arousal, looking at the person in front of him he noticed the tear streaked face and the familiar blue eyes of his "rival". Truthfully he didn't remember that the obnoxious guy lived three floors down from him, just like he didn't remember that he was an Omega.

"Lance?" The man in question smiled sadly: "I didn't think you knew my name, ass-" sobs interrupted him before he could keep insulting the _mullet-head_ at his door. He tried to stop them uselessly, successfully smothering himself though, and fell to his knees, curling on the floor, too weak to put up a fight against the boiling wave of heat in his lower half. The pain was searing, making him feel as if all his bones shattered at the same time, then everything went numb. The feeling of a cold nose dragging over his jugular and even colder hands sneaking under his shirt and running up and down his back sent pleasurable shivers down his body. Lance acted on his omegan instincts, leaning against Keith, who was crooning softly, and mewling. He stilled: _why was the Alpha holding him so tenderly? Shouldn't he be dominating him? Didn't he hate him for being him?_

"Why are you helping me? Shouldn't you be making fun of a fucking Omega?" Lance cried out hysterically as another wave of heat hit him, having Keith close was helping, but not close enough for his Omega.

"Why should I? _How_ could I? You are suffering... How were you accepted at the Garrison?" Keith didn't understand why an Omega would be let in, not because they were inferior, but because they were in danger if they were to be in close contact with so many Alphas in an enclosed space such as a spaceship (although he knew that the Garrison wasn't of the same opinion, they just thought that Omegas weren't deserving of being considered heroes by the young ones, fucking traditionalists... _fucking Iverson_ ).

"Late bloomer" another whimper filled Keith's ears as Lance started trembling in his arms. _God he didn't think that heats could be so painful._

"Would you be okay if I helped you out? Keeping the window open wasn't a good idea... I could smell you from my flat... I was worried..." As much as he couldn't stand his obnoxious rival, he couldn't leave him in this situation, as it was wrong for an Alpha to take advantage of someone during heat, it was just as wrong to not protect and help them. At the court nod Lance managed Keith let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and closed the door behind him with a nudge of his feet, seen as the two of them were cuddling on the floor right in front of it. Carefully he hoisted the poor newly presented Omega up and strolled confidently toward his room, he thanked every God in existence that his senses were more than good so that he didn't have to disturb the dazed guy nuzzling his neck.

Once he got to the bedroom he gently laid Lance on the covers and watched, albeit scolding himself, as the Omega started to nest and curl when he was finished and satisfied with his handy work. Not two seconds later though he started whining looking at Keith, effectively pleading to the Alpha to get closer, to which his instincts wanted to oblige. Keith's Alpha had been telling him to take the Omega and to claim him for himself since the moment he set foot in front of the threshold, and Lance wasn't helping him to control himself, but he knew that as much as he agreed with him he had to be in control if he wanted to be able to look at his reflection in the mirror the next day. So he at least tried to give an alternative: "Do you want me to run you a bath? It could help..." but was soon turned down, _so much to keep calm_ , by a gentle shake of Lance's head followed by a much softer voice, since breathing through the pain seemed to be becoming a challenging feat for the Omega: " I already tried to soothe it that way, but it didn't work... could you please hold me again? It made the pain quiet down a little...".

Those few words were enough to shatter what little resolve Keith still had, he reached for the trembling body and dragged the withering mess that Lance had became on his lap. He nuzzled the sweaty skin of his neck, dragging softly over the scent glands, earning soft moans and mewls. The situation in his pants was becoming tight and his Alpha was pushing forward trying to be let out of its confines, but he held strong, _he could do this, he just had to concentrate._ But as Lance's teeth and lips dragged over his neck and collarbone his head grew dizzy and a low growl rumbled from deep within his chest.

"Lance? Oi, Lance, look at me... - Keith breathed out as he managed to pry the tanned Omega's face from his neck and looked him in the eyes. _How could their colour change so much every time he looked at them?_ \- are you sure you are okay with more than cuddling?" _God he at least hoped he could hold his Alpha off if Lance refused anything more than this_ , also because he wasn't looking forward to let him out. Admittedly he was scared, of himself.

"Yes, please~ just make it stop..." Was the mewling response Lance gave, and it was enough for him to completely lose the battle against his instincts. A loud growl was all the warning he gave to the other before slamming his lips and fangs against his. Unsurprisingly enough their make out session heated up as none of the two was giving into the other dominance, the battle only won by Keith because he managed to slip his tongue inside his Omega's mouth, making him become a moaning mess.

Lance was taken aback by the sudden growl but, as soon as he felt the mullet-head's warm lips against his, his body melted and molded against the other, and his mind put all of its energies into the rough kiss that felt just too good. Suddenly he was shoved to the back of his head, his Omega taking over for the first time, and as he opened his ice blue eyes he was met by the deep red of Keith's ones, which replaced the usual deep gray with speckles of violet, _God how he hated the beauty of those stormy orbs_. He felt strange, not the bad kind... just different: his feelings were less sharp than usual, as if they were filtered by that _being_ (he was about 90% sure that it had its own conscience and that it was trying to take over him) which was currently moaning in _his rival_ 's mouth.

Keith freezed under the gaze of the beautiful man sprawled underneath him, he had never seen irises so close to white, the usual swimming pool blue that seemed to be glowing had been replaced by what he thought to be milky, dull and lifeless polls of ice, he had to rethink everything he believed to be true a second later as dark blue liquid colour started swirling into them, changing the pattern every time he blinked. He was mesmerized just as much as his Alpha, _what the heck was that?_

Their lips met again, but this time on Lance's initiative, seen as Keith was right out gaping at him, in a slow, tender and loving kiss that made both of their desires stir and come to the forefront. Keith felt Lance grind against his thigh, already hard and probably leaking, so he reached down between their bodies and unbuckled his pants, tentatively he slipped his hand under the hem of his boxers and gave a strong stroke to the wet girth in his hand, receiving a choked moan in response.

"Lance~ don't be shy... let me hear your voice" Keith heard his Alpha whisper next to the mewling Omega's ear, in what he supposed was a sexy voice seen as it managed to get a loud pleased moan out of the guy.

Not a second later he realized that he must had spaced out because suddenly Lance was stark naked underneath him, his hips stuttering in search of some type of contact, and his torn clothes were shredded around them and on the floor. His attention soon returned to the warm body as his hands roamed the silky plains of the Omega's chest and hips, Keith let his tongue follow in the path of his hands and claws, which were dragging lightly onto the unspoiled tan and making soft moans escape the other's lips. As he reached one of the hardened nipples and sucked on it Lance arched beautifully, his hips jerking and his mouth agape.

When his hands reached the leaking cock of his partner he gave only a few teasing strokes, earning half hearted whines as his tongue and teeth seemed to be giving a hard time to Lance in forming coherent thoughts, before diving to his target: the slick covered entrance, twitching for some contact. He didn't wait for the Omega to give him a sign that he was ready for what was coming (not that he could have even if he wanted), slowly but confidently Keith slipped a digit in the tight ring of muscle, easing in without much resistance thanks to the amount of slick the heat was producing.

He was suddenly distracted by a sneaky hand finding its way under the hem of both his pants and boxers to wrap around his own weeping erection, though the strokes didn't last for long since as soon as he regained some sort of control he started moving his finger inside Lance in thrusting motions, making his hand stutter to a stop as his body couldn't manage to move as he would have wanted it to, only making it possible for the Omega to melt into Keith's mouth and fingers.

Earning pleased moans and lewd squelching sounds from the now deep-blue eyed beauty grabbing at the sheets of the bed with tight fists made his Alpha's ego boost to a whole new level. The hand working Lance's hole loose was already covered in slick as he inserted another two fingers in rapid succession, not meeting any resistance, and as he scissored his fingers inside his mind was basking in the smell of arousal and the sinful images of his swollen tip entering the warm cavern. _God, he really hoped he would be able to hold his orgasm off enough for Lance to come first._ As he hit the sweet bundle of nerves inside the Omega Keith swore under his breath, the sharp cry of his name making his Alpha growl in excitement and his dick twitch. _Fuck_ was the last humanly acceptable thing he thought before all Hell broke loose.

Lance found himself on his hands and knees, his face pressed into the mattress, and Keith behind him, his hands gripping rather painfully his shapely hips, his chest pressed on his back, keeping him caged, and his warm breath fanning over his ear as his tongue traced its shell, making him shiver in anticipation.

Amidst his hazy thoughts he realized that the Alpha's hand had slid along his spine up to the nape of his neck where his curly chocolate brown hair covered his soul mate mark, a violet intricated rune, as his hand grazed upon it a jolt of energy made the both of them still and their heavy breaths halt. Lance couldn't believe just how scared he was feeling... _God his Alpha was so going to reject him... He was going to be a failure even at being a mate..._ He was turned around and he felt Keith rightfully crash over him, his arms reaching behind him, engulfing him in one of those warm, cuddly bear hugs, his nose nestling in the crook of his neck and his lungs taking in his scent. After a bit Lance realized that his claws were tracing the outlines of the mark by memory... _How could he even think that Keith would reject him when he was helping him without even knowing him... Oh and how could he doubt him now as he was purring like a kitten against his chest to comfort his troubled mind..._

Keith on the other hand didn't understand what was going on until he realized that his most dreaded secret hadn't been busted, and that he was instead just purring and nuzzling against his mate, _thank God Lance was his mate or he would have been dead, or hurt..._ He had feared this moment to come, what _was he gonna tell him? Hey we can't be together because I'm a freak of nature and you would be in danger if you stay with me?_ He had always supposed that he'd never get attached, and that telling his mate to fuck off wouldn't have been a problem, but he was wrong, as per usual... Shiro was so going to laugh at him. Meeting Lance's azure eyes was the sign for his Alpha to let him in control, and make him show the poor excuse of a man he was.

"I'm so sorry Lance" he sobbed against the other's shoulder - _when had he started to cry?_ \- tears streaming down his face and making his vision blur. He hid his face in his hands as he sat up, too ashamed to look the Omega in the eyes, but they were soon pried away, making a pitiful whine escape his lips, and warm lips met his in a tender kiss, his unnaturally long fangs scraping against flesh and drawing blood, but Lance didn't seem to mind.

"What's wrong? Why are you apologizing?" the Omega's hands reached to cradle Keith's face, drying the tears rolling down his cheeks with his thumbs. _What was the problem? Was it him? Had he done something wrong? Why was his Alpha so sad about finding him? Did he really hate him after all?_

Keith hugged Lance close, anchoring himself against the storm raging in his mind and heart, with a monotonous tone he was able to utter: "You don't want me as your mate, trust me... I'm not right for you. I'm not right for anyone who cares to live longer than a week or two... I can't put you in danger. There's something wrong with me... I could hurt you, a lot...". _What the actual fuck did that mean? Hadn't he hid this for the longest time? What was he doing?_

"You won't... hey... - Lance tipped Keith's head to meet his downcast gaze, his dark eyes meeting his liquid pools, he couldn't believe he was tearing up... - Look at me. You are my mate, my one and only, whatever happens I'll be there for you, okay? I'm not going anywhere..." He tried to reassure uselessly. He may not know what the Alpha ment but he sure as Hell wouldn't accept to be rejected on the base of a flimsy possibility.

"Run for your life! I'm dangerous!" Just like Lance's, Keith's advice fell on deaf ears. _What trick was Fate going to play on him? God, was the Omega really so headstrong?_

"I DON'T CARE! - was the clear answer he got... Why couldn't he just let it go? Was he really so stupid as to endanger himself? - You can do whatever you'd like to me, I'm yours just as much as you are mine. I'm not giving up on you, on us! - once again his eyes shifted colour and his voice got a few octaves lower, and _way more assertive_ \- Please Alpha~ claim me as yours~ I need you~" Keith only heard the mewl before the beast inside of him took over again, this time more controlled, as it laid Lance gently on his back and went down on him, kissing every inch of his body, before opening him up to have better access and slowly aligning his hips to his entrance. He had planned to go slow, but as the Omega's legs wrapped around his waist and forcefully slammed his cock deep inside him the Alpha lost all his resolve.

A low growl filled the room when Keith started pounding into the moaning mess Lance had become, his tight ass clenching rhythmically around his girth in time with his relentless thrusts. He started leaving hickeys and open mouthed kisses down the Omega's neck as he arched beautifully, his blue eyes wild and darkened with pleasure. Feeling every muscle in the lean body tense and clench around him more and more as his climax neared Keith bit down onto the tender flesh of Lance's neck, breaking the soft skin with his fangs, marking him as his.

The moment Lance felt the Alpha's, _his Alpha's_ , canines sink into his flesh his length hit his prostate with just the right angle and force to send him tumbling over the edge with a loud moan and a cry of his mate's name. His vision blurred and blanked out as he came down from his high, his body going limp in the process. Once he got his senses back the first thing he felt was the gentle drag of Keith's tongue over his burning mark, the new scar feeling as if it was on fire, and the soft croons coming from deep within his chest.

The Alpha's heart rejoiced at the soft purr coming from the Omega as he cuddled as close to it as possible. Keith might have fought that marking Lance right now could have been one of his not-so-bright ideas, but his instinct couldn't have been happier. It had only been a few hours since he had seriously met his mate (the other times didn't actually count as meetings...) and it felt like it had already been a lifetime. It just felt so right and domestic to hold him close to his chest... As Lance dived low and nuzzled his scent glands he realized that the heat had quieted down and that the Omega's muscles weren't paralyzed by the heat and the pains it brought anymore.

"Keith~ - a soft whisper close to his ear made him look down to meet the magnetizing azure pools that were the lustful beast's eyes - knot me~" too distracted by his sweet smell and beautiful body the Alpha hadn't realized that his dick was still plunged deep inside Lance and that the knot had already formed at its base. Smirking, pleased by the lewd request, he slowly slid deeper, stretching the Omega's tight hole wider and making him mewl loudly and boldly Keith's name at the feeling of the enlarged girth moving farther into his depths, rubbing all the right places and making him feel full and satisfied. Lance's overstimulated hole made him moan in pleasure at every slow deliberate thrust against his prostate, which fastly built his second orgasm up, way sooner than he'd liked it to come, but he couldn't bring himself to care as much as usual as longas his Alpha kept his pace up and kissed him into the sweet, sweet oblivion of his climax.

It wasn't long before Keith's rhythm broke into fast and dragged out thrusts, which tugged against his knot making pain mix with pleasure, reaching deeper the more he got close to the edge of his own orgasm. As Lance started tightening in regular clenches around his cock his hips stuttered, moving one of the other's legs over his shoulder, he plunged in with just the right angle, and out of the blue his legs gave out and he lost his balance, slamming against the sweet spot at full force, both of them tumbled over the edge together. Only when it was too late the Alpha realized his mistake: he hadn't thought about putting on a condom for he didn't plan neither to mate nor to knot, and Lance was in heat, which meant that there was a 89% probability that right about now the Omega's body was hosting a kid, his kid. _Well...Fuck... He wasn't gonna tell, to anyone. He so hoped that just this one time science lost its quarrel against Fate... Shit!_

The next minutes went by in a blur, their minds kind of fuzzy because of the amount of hormones going around their bodies as the bond settled and Keith's knot shrinked, letting him slide out of Lance without causing him any pain. Strangely enough hugging his mate close made Keith forget of his fears, facing a highly possible pregnancy seemed not that big of a problem as he held the Omega close to his chest and soft purrs emitted from the both of them. Carefully they rolled around so that Lance could sprawl comfortably over Keith's torso and they stayed curled up together for a while, gently caressing the flushed expanses of flesh still free of the clothes and breathing in each other scents. Neither of them had ever thought that they'd live enough to experience such a sense of calm and happiness, and it just felt so right. Before any of them could realize they were both nodding off and being embraced by a peaceful slumber, one none of them had had the pleasure to experience in a while seen as both of them had their fair share of reasons not to sleep, or to sleep for a very short time.

The first to wake the next morning was Keith. He sat up slowly, detangling himself from Lance's strong and long limbs carefully as not to wake him when he was sleeping so peacefully. _He looked so innocent..._ The Alpha stretched his arms and back, moaning softly once his spine cracked satisfyingly from his bottom up to the last vertebrae of his neck. After his morning routine, made of cranky grumbling about where he put his things, that as usual he had lost somewhere (and that didn't depend on whether he was in his own apartment or in someone else's) and how the furniture's edges were way too sharp to be considered safe, before wandering out of the room.

Once he achieved the first step of an awful stair that lead nowhere he proceeded with the second, aka finding the bathroom and emptying his bladder. It took him five ( _five for fuck's sake!_ ) entire minutes to realize that this flat was exactly like his but as if reflected into a mirror, which meant that if he was used to go to the left he had to move to the right, and if he wanted to go "north" here he'd have to bring his ass to the "south"; _he despised his sleepy mind so much... Why was it so fucking slow?_

After that easy consideration he managed to make his way to the bathroom and tick "step two" off of his list. Looking around the room he noticed a fairly big bathtub sitting at the far corner of the room, right under the small window lighting the place up (since he couldn't bother to switch the light on), which instilled an awesome (yes, he was really proud of it) idea into his mind. _Now he only had to hope that Lance was of the same opinion..._

He opened the water and waited for a little puddle to form on the bottom of the tub to throw the content of a bottle with "pearly bubbles" written over it (which he guessed would serve at his purpose just right) before going back to the room where his mate was sleeping, curled in a tight ball on the big bed. He made his way toward him and gently shook him awake.

"Morning Lance - he smiled. _How could his demeanour change this fast? He wasn't one to smile this much usually... everyone knew..._ \- I made a bubble bath, want to join?" An azure iris fogged by sleepiness focused on him, then it blew wide as the Omega's expression brightened, which was enough of an answer. Lance, too tired (read lazy) to try and stand up, just opened his arms and made grabby hand motions, begging Keith to carry him wherever, he was so similar to a toddler that he was tempted to make some kind of remark, but obliged anyway. The result was a lanky guy wrapped around a smaller one like a koala and blocking any type of movement in the other, thankfully the Alpha managed to carry both of them safely to their destination.

Halfway through the third task of the day (aka getting Lance alive in the bathtub) Keith was interrupted by said person cranky voice: "There's a post-it on the front door, can we go take a look? It could be Hunk..." speech that was soon interrupted by a lengthy yawn. Not wanting to make the past rivalry come out again the Alpha just complied with a hum, he got close to the door enough for the person in his arms to reach for the tiny sheet of paper fastened to the door frame before moving again toward the now probably flooded bathroom.

Lance's voice broke the still air once again after he managed to read what was written on the pastel yellow post-it, that Keith initially thought was white, in chicken handwriting: "It's Hunk, he says, and I cite: "I'll be coming back tomorrow morning, Hunk. PS: don't get pregnant, use condoms"... he must have come in while we were going at it, oops~" the Omega's giggle filled Keith's ears and made him smile even more, _how could he be so lucky and have such a cute mate?_

"Hunk is your bulky hawaiian friend isn't he? - he still didn't know any of Lance's friends names, really names never stuck with him - Hope he doesn't kill me once he finds out we didn't follow his advice..." the Alpha said as he finally entered the bathroom again.

"He doesn't have to know, does he?" Lance blabbered leaning against him once Keith stepped in the bathtub and sat, engulfing them with the warm water, that miraculously hadn't overflowed.

"I believe that you wouldn't be able to lie or to keep a secret even if your life depended on it" he chuckled and Lance answered with a half hearted whine, knowing perfectly well that his mate was right, just for the Hell of it (and to distract him) he started nuzzling and licking the Alpha's scent glands, making him hold his breath and groan.

"Lance don't tease... We can do it again later, after you've eaten and drank something, you need energies to keep up with the heat. I don't want to hurt you because you pushed your limits." Keith warned as he got up and away from the hot (literally and figuratively) Omega.

"But Alpha~ I need you~" Lance mewled in the haze of his heat, which was coming back at an alarming speed.

"Nope, later... what do you want for lunch?" Keith tried to redirect his attention onto something else, but he had to admit that it was more to distract himself than anything, the alluring smell of arousal was making it difficult for the Alpha to keep his cool and not jump the Omega's bones. He realized that comparing Lance with a toddler was way too flattering, his whining was way more insistent and annoying.

"I want you, Alpha~... You'd be a tasty meal~" At the mewling and whining coming from the lewd Omega Keith could only pray whatever God was there to give him enough strength to keep his mind out of the gutter and don't fuck him raw. With a whispered excuse he turned his back and walked out of the room, toward the kitchen, with a heavy heart and a grumbling stomach.

When he strolled inside the kitchen his heart skipped a beat and he cursed under his breath. There, resting his back against the fridge was Hunk, his arms crossed over his chest and a murderous glare fixated on him, which only meant one thing: _he knew_.

"Morning, Keith. - he said with a voice too sweet for his tone to be considered innocuous - I see that you must have realized your mistake in screwing around with my friend, in my home, under my watch. You should know that walls are thin 'round here, asshole." The smile he sported as he strolled leisurely toward Keith, who was paralyzed in fear ( _God, how could a Beta be so frightening?_ ), was anything but calming, once he got close enough he got his face low enough to whisper directly into the Alpha's right ear, nearly brushing against the hickeys Keith knew his mate had left there the previous night, not that the brooding guy was much taller but _Mullet-head_ was rightfully trying to shrink away from the threatening aura. Lowly and with a hint of growl underneath Hunk asked: "Do I have to sharpen some knives and cut your balls too, in addition to your brother's?" _He was so, so screwed... wait his brother? No-one knew about that tiny detail of his life... How could he, of all people know? Oh, right, Pidge... Anyway what had his brother have to do with all this pep talk?_

"Takashi?" Keith inquired trying to get the discourse away from himself. _Like, why was he in an argument concerning sex and someone? The guy wouldn't even try to start a relationship. Look how well it went with his sibling and family. Not that he was any better,_ but still.

"Yeah, your brother. He just hosted my other best friend in his house while she was hit by her first heat, I can only imagine what he was up to... And I come back home, after checking on them, to the sound of loud lewd moaning and the scream of the name of none other than the aforementioned guy's brother... Is it a thing that runs in the family to mate with the first Omega you find?" The growling had grown louder and louder as the Beta shoved Keith against the wall, his eyes seeing red and his mind demanding of him to protect the most precious people in his life. The Alpha let him scream and shout all he wanted without opposing resistance and without talking back, completely agreeing with him about not being able to control his instinct. He knew for a fact he had only opposed resistance to his Alpha to an extent and knew that knotting Lance hadn't been a brilliant idea. His mind wandered while he was being manhandled, not even caring to try and protect himself from the hits he was taking: _why must his and his brother's path meet once again? Isn't it okay for two freaks of nature to try to have a normal life without clashing and colliding? Would they keep hurting each other? Should he had run farther away? Should he have made different choices? Was this all a sick game of Fate? Or were they really only two puppets in a game of chess, with no free will and hope of survival?_

Meanwhile Lance stepped into the room, with a towel around his hips and one over his head, and didn't even notice what was going on, his stomach demanding to be fed and making his mind zero onto the fridge, which looked as if it had been touched by God's light with angels singing around it too, until he actually looked up from the cup of milk he had poured for himself at the stoves. His first reaction was worry for Keith, seeing his mate become a punchbag for his best friend wasn't funny and he could feel some of the pain through the bond. Then he watched as the Alpha's body seemed to go limp before golden yellow took over his dark irises ( _scary_ ) and he became feral, attacking Hunk with sharp teeth and claws. The Omega's mind acted on instinct (although maybe the heat was making his decisions a little bit too reckless for his own good), he stood and in the blink of an eye he was between the two quarreling parties. _Shit, definitely not a good idea!_

Keith's elongated nails stopped at a millimeter from Lance's face, who saw his life pass before his eyes as he was being shoved out of the way by a familiar hand. Both the Omega and Hunk, watched as the Alpha's eyes returned to their normal color, worriedly looking for any sign of hurt on the two and an apologetic look casted their way before he slumped on the floor, unconscious. One question rose in both of their minds: _What the fuck was that?_

 **A/N:**

A list of important things:  
1) this is my first fic ever, so, please, don't refrain from criticizing or commenting;  
2) English is NOT my first language, if there are mistakes they could also not be typos, please tell me;  
3) I'll be posting once a month, but this could change based on my school schedule;  
4) if you have a piece of advice to give me please do, I'd like to be more in touch with my readers;  
5) if you want I also have a tumblr where you can find me ( )

This is all for now, se you soon with the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Pidge had to file the the morning she woke up in Shiro's apartment after her heat had finished as one of the most disorienting experiences of her life. Her memories of the previous days were gone, in fact she didn't even know where she was, but then they came flooding back one by one, like a series of frames in no particular order getting burned on her retinas. She found herself blushing at some of them, well _most_ of them, since she was technically watching her Omega's memories and feelings toward those things she had been doing nearly non stop for a week with her mate… _She couldn't believe just how right and good it all felt…_

She tossed and turned about in the nest, trying to calm down her excited Omega by tiring her out (which was absolutely useless), until she ended on top of a sleeping beauty, Shiro, and stilled… _her mind was such a bitch… why didn't it care to remind her that the Alpha had become a part of her nest instead of running scenes cut out for a porno in a continuous flow?_

Groaning and blinking his eyes open he sat up, making Pidge lose her balance and tumble off the couch, ending up on the carpet with a loud _thud_ followed by a drowsy whine. At the sound Shiro sprung up, feets apart, knees bent, hands fisted in front of his face, ready to fight. What made Katie afraid wasn't the attack in itself, she knew that just like her brother he must had been going through a lot and probably suffered from PTSD, but the sickening violet colour lighting up his prosthetic arm and the electric crackling it was producing made her pale.

"Shiro... Hey? Look at me Takashi... I'm fine... Everything's okay..." Her voice wavered but it was enough to catch the panicking Alpha's attention. She had seen this behaviour countless of times in her sweet brother and serious father, enough to know how to deal with it without causing an outrage, but never enough to get used to it and ready to face it. She watched as his golden eyes fell on her when he turned toward her before shifting to their human colour once he assessed her injuries, that, thankfully, amounted to none. The fear in Katie's eyes must have shown pretty clearly since once he lowered his arms, the mecha one now returned to his usual, innocuous, "setting", he started trembling and apologizing over and over, kneeling with each leg on other side of her waist as his thighs's muscles spasmed against his will. Pidge just hugged him around his torso and slowly bent his neck until he rested his forehead on her shoulder, breathing heavily in her embrace but slowly calming down thanks to the soft cooing and purring coming from her.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, that was all he got from hours spent sprawled over an uncomfortable divan in a psychiatrist office. The poor guy still thought he took all those medicines he had prescribed, when in fact he had stopped after not even a week because sleep might be good, but not having nightmares and attacks sure was better. He had to learn how to fight against his demons, they were just memories after all, in the year he had spent running from everything that breathed. Sometimes he still had them and the outcomes were always the same: either he got on like he never had a night terror or, when they were painful, he'd have to take a week off of work and try to survive multiple attacks one after the other. This time it was different though, he had always been alone when fighting against the worst of them, but not this time. He had had rage fits and he could get dangerous he knew he took it out on whatever was at hand (although he didn't remember), he had broken the table twice or punched a hole through the wall (and had to repair it) around six times already.

So he was rightfully afraid of hurting his mate unconsciously and scaring her away. He tried not to give into the gentle push of her hand, although her scent was one of the most alluring he had ever smelled, but failed miserably, nuzzling against her glands and bringing it out even more. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her thin and small frame, he might have been scared, but his Alpha's instinct surely didn't care. His attack slowly died down, the low humming of Katie's voice and the soft kisses along the column of his neck reconnecting him to reality. As soon as he came back the first words he uttered were an apology, his body going limp against hers as relaxation took over his muscles, the quietness of the room comforting his nerves. He tiredly met her eyes, having to crane his neck from the position he was currently in to do so.

"Do. Not. Ever. Say. That. Again." She softly spoke against his skin, although there was a tinge of anger in the words it went unnoticed by the Alpha in her arms whose mind was wandering aimlessly, he was actually considering to buy a thesaurus so as to find some other way to describe his feisty mate apart from "soft"... _wait, did feisty count as a new one? Had he unlocked a new achievement?_

Noticing that Shiro had spaced out, Pidge gently pecked his lips managing to call his soul back in his body, with him she had way more options that with her brother to attract his attention, she smiled and kept speaking:

"I'm serious though, it's not something you can control, so you don't have to be sorry… I should be the one apologizing right now since I was the one to trigger it." She purred soothingly against his ear making shivers run down his spine and a contented sigh escape his lips, all his previous worries seemed to vanish for an instant, hidden for a while but not forgotten. He hugged her closer tentatively and stood, seeing no reason to remain on the cold hard ground any longer. He made his way over to the kitchen for maybe the thousandth time that week and stilled on the threshold. _When the fuck had his neat kitchen become such a mess?_

"When we had sex on every possible surface in it yesterday, after finishing lunch, because you went in a rut…" Katie muttered still wrapped around him, he couldn't believe how light she was, he kept forgetting her when he was carrying her, as if she was just an extension of his body. Her answer made him realize that he must have expressed his bewilderment aloud. _Wait, did she say they had sex in the kitchen? THEY HAD SEX? What the hell happened in just a week?_

"Stop panicking Shiro" she whispered reassuringly to him and kissed his cheek, "it's because of my heat that you don't remember what happened. My memories are hazy too. I'm fine, you're fine, we'll be okay, we didn't mate and that's what counts. We might have went too far but we didn't fuck up completely." She smiled and he couldn't do anything but smile back and calm down. He slowly lowered her to the ground and made his way toward the sink, which was an absolute mess, like the rest of the room, as if a hurricane had passed through it leaving debris in his wake.

She noticed how his body had tensed at the sight before him, she slowly made her way over and wrapped her arms around his waist leaning with her naked body against his bare back in a warm and comforting embrace, her purrs and words reverberating through the other body: "Would you like me to help you in cleaning the mess we made? If we work together it'll take half the time to clean the whole house. I could start up the washing machine, so that I can put on my own clothes, instead of yours or nothing at all, and put the sheets I used for the nest back where they came from. And clean the couch, and the bed and the table, and the floor, and the washing machine, too… We might have went a little bit overboard with experiments… Not that I complain…" She rambled on blushing profusely and getting redder for every item she added to the list she was making.

"Y-yes, thank you… and it's not a problem if you use some of my clothes, feel free to rummage through my drawers, my shirts should fit you like a short dress…" he stuttered before chuckling lightly as he threw a glance behind himself meeting Pidge's tomato-red face. He relaxed in no time thanks to the steady rhythm of Katie's caresses up and down his chest and her low humming sending vibrations through his body. He was surprised by how fast she managed to make him go nearly limp, it usually took him from one day to a whole week to feel remotely okay after an attack, but her presence was working wonders on his nerves, and he realized he could get used to this domestic atmosphere. Once he came back to his senses he found that the Omega was gone and that he had already cleaned half of the dishes that were in the sink, which meant that quite some time must have passed without him noticing at all.

"Are you back from Dreamland yet?" Pidge called out from the door, making Shiro startle and stutter an affirmative response. "Good, I already put what needed to be cleaned in the washing machine, cleaned the bathroom and the living room, too. I didn't clean your bedroom since it's yours and whatnot, but I did borrow one of your shirts. Can I swipe the floor here? Or would you like me to do something else? Like, I dunno… cleaning the counters and the table?" A groan escaped his lips, apparently a lot more time than he had anticipated had passed. _Why did he always spaceport so much? Gosh, he felt so stupid…_

"I'll take care of the rest, just go and relax on the couch. I'll make us something to eat. Sorry if I went to Dreamland, as you called it, for so long… I didn't mean to" Shiro apologized. A hearty giggle came from Katie and the Alpha couldn't help but look at her confusedly: "Why are you laughing?" he inquired curiously, with a smile stretching his lips and his head cocked to the side, his white bangs falling in front of his eyes.

"You are cute" she breathed out as if it was a precious secret she was confessing to him, "You had such a content expression on your face while washing the dishes that I couldn't bring myself to interrupt your wandering mind and disturb your peacefulness. Anyway, no need to apologize, again. I space out too sometimes, well… maybe more than sometimes. Hunk doesn't let me close to anything sharp in the kitchen anymore because of it… It's funny that we have something like this in common, don't you think so, too? I was thinking of a possible theory because this happens, maybe a downside of over-focusing..." she rambled before shutting her mouth in what sounded as the middle of the sentence. She shook her head, scowled, sighed, turned her back and went out the room without looking Shiro in the eyes, leaving him baffled and confused to finish his chores in the kitchen.

Pidge woke up a while later, her eyes cracking open only after burning with the sheer amount of light coming from a window. A gentle hand was caressing her cheek and keeping her unruly bangs out of her face, which made her let out a soft sigh of contentment and a smile stretch her lips. Tiredness was plaguing her mind and every attempt to rub it off without results got her annoyed, her eyesight was blurry and wasn't helping at all with making her feel any more awake then she was while napping. Slowly she managed to sit up and noticed that her glasses were missing. They were sitting atop her head, but it wasn't like she would have found them unless Shiro had nudged them down on the bridge of her nose.

She turned her eyes toward Shiro and met his shining eyes with a smile. Soon enough her attention drifted away from the man as a mouth-watering smell reached her nose. She looked down and feasted her eyes on a tray full of food, which meant they'd have to clean everything in the kitchen once again, but she couldn't care less as a sweet smell wafted to her nostrils. Her grumpy scowl became a bright smile in mere seconds just as Shiro said: "Lunch's ready".

Shiro sat himself comfortably next to her and watched on as she finished not only her plate but also his own. He was hungry but he wasn't going to complain, if anything he was actually thankful that she got to eat as much as she needed. He could only imagine how taxing the heat must have been on her body for her to need so much sustainment. Which didn't mean he was any better, as his stomach made him notice with a loud gurgling sound.

"Shiro… are you okay?" Katie asked under her breath as not to disturb the peaceful silence that had fallen upon them. The Alpha nodded, but his body begged to differ as another similar sound filled the room. As Katie turned away to hide her laughing fit her eyes fell upon the tray or more specifically on the two empty bowls sitting upon it. "Oh God! I ate your food too! Why didn't you say anything?! Do you have something else in the fridge to eat?"

He couldn't help but shrug. It wasn't like he was going to die if he ate a bit later. But then again it was true that in order to do that he was going to actually have something hidden in the cupboards… Which he didn't if he was remembering correctly.

"Shoot! We finished the last of your food. Or better, I finished it! Why didn't you say anything?!" The tiny Omega panicked. Shiro followed her with a confused look his eyes he stood up and ran toward the Alpha's room.

In less than a minute she had dressed herself as best as she could with his clothes (aka a shirt that was way too big on her and a pair of running shorts that were supposed to hug one's curves and instead needed to be held up by a belt) and ran back toward the door. As she was putting on her shoes that had mysteriously managed to fall right next to the coat-hanger, she finally turned toward Shiro and announced what she intended to do.

"I'm going to buy you some more food. And I'm going to cook, too. It's the least I can do to repay you, right?" And without letting Shiro answer, she was out the door.

After getting Shiro something to eat, Pidge could finally take some seconds to herself to think about the situations she found herself in. The walk back to the Alpha's apartment was stressful to say the least. She couldn't allow Shiro to lose that tiny bit of support he got from the Garrison after all he had gone through just to be with her. So she really needed to come up with a plan and some good excuses to get him to leave her alone, no matter how much it was going to hurt.

She may be good at engineering but that doesn't mean that she is good at following steps she knows are going to blow up in her face. So as she climbs up the steps leading to the Alpha's house, she allows her mind to go back to the happy memories she regained about the week she just spent with the man she had forever had a crush on. But once her knuckles hit the hardwood door of the apartment and Shiro opened and stepped a bit sideways to let her in, the plan got in motion.

She just went about the first half of it in total silence, while trying to work out which words could be the right ones to explain herself without making Shiro feel guilty about her own decision. She took out the ingredients she had bought from the two heavy bags she had put down on the counter and started putting away the ones she didn't need to cook.

Shiro tried to ignore the sour scent coming off of Katie in waves as she worked at his lunch. His instinct was telling him to make it up to her. But he didn't know what he had done wrong, and the fuzzy memories that had resurfaced didn't hint at anything he might have done to hurt her. He kept on trying to ignore the heavy silence, too. Even as she put a plateful of pasta with an italian sauce she had called "pesto" in front of him he couldn't help but notice that her smile was tense and her eyes looked dull.

His attention was caught by her again as she sat down as far away from him as possible. His hand moved on its own to bring the food to his mouth but his mind as completely focused on solving the mysterious mood Katie had fallen in out of the blue.

"Shiro… I… I was thinking that maybe it would be in both our interests not to let this thing…" she hesitantly started, "This thing that happened between the two of us… get out of this walls… Ever."

"Is it because of something I have done?" He inquired. He couldn't really see a reason why they needed to keep it a secret when they both had felt the connection between their inner beasts.

"Because… Because it could ruin both of our careers. And this was just an accident, wasn't it?" She said finally meeting his eyes.

"Why do you ask me that when It doesn't sound as if you are truly convinced about what you are saying in the first place?" He couldn't help but wonder as he caught the tiniest break in her voice as she pronounced the question.

"I… I don't know… I wish I was sure about this at the very least… or sure enough to fool you. But I can't really fool you, can I?" she smiled sadly. "It wouldn't be good for a teacher and a student to hang out, would it? And if we did the Garrison would kick you out as soon as it caught on, plus they would find out about my disguise and we'd both be fucked sideways. So I guess I have overstayed my welcome. I'll find a way to repay you of your kindness, professor. I need to go now… Enjoy the food." She ranted without taking the time to breathe, leaving herself heaving as she stood up and ran out of the door once again.

Shiro was left sitting stiffly at his table, his hand freezed halfway to his mouth and his heart hammering against his ribcage. _Why the fuck couldn't he move a muscle and run after her?_


End file.
